Activate your family

Getting children to take part in sports or exercise can be a challenge, but more and more research is being carried out on what helps children become more active.

The results suggest a vast number of social, physical, organisational and psychological issues that should be taken into account. Parental support, activity and fitness have a huge influence on children and teenagers' activity levels. It's imperative that the whole family develops healthy habits that promote an active lifestyle.
Some basic tips to increase exercise and fitness for the whole family can be fairly simple, but are vitally important to instil at an early age. Encouraging outdoor activities - even if that is gardening - is a step in the right direction. My sister reports her children LOVE weeding (I am assuming this will subside as they reach their teens and it becomes a ‘chore’). So come spring, off to work they go (no, I am not condoning child labour) cleaning up the garden and as a result getting in some moderately intense activity in the process. There are of course ways to make that more enjoyable for them, such as turning it into a game or challenge, such as ‘who can get the most weeds?’ This is literally what my sister has done and it seems to focus their efforts.

Performing family activity sessions are also feasible, for instance you may encourage the children to ride their bikes as you as parents run or jog next to them. This can mitigate the safety concerns of the equation children + bikes = danger, but also gets them cycling and you training for that 3, 5 or 10k run. At the same time you can all enjoy the great outdoors of a local park or trail.
On a more modern note, whilst TV watching is linked to reduced activity levels in children, recent developments in physically interactive game consoles can help the whole family exercise. The Wii and X-box for instance have a number of games which provide hours of fun and activity. In particular dance based games allow younger children to perform exercise, improve co-ordination and have a dance-off against their less than supple parents. This provides an amusing avenue for the whole family to participate in group exercise.
To summarise, aside from chaining your children to stationary bikes and telling them to cycle if they want to watch TV... Incorporate outdoor activities which you can be involved in, or combine your own training as means to get them involved. This will set a good example and instil positive attitudes towards exercise. Lastly be willing to embarrass yourself as you wonder where your 5 year old learnt the shapes they are throwing all over the living room.